U.S. patent number 5,314,357 [Application Number 08/029,085] was granted by the patent office on 1994-05-24 for combined electrical connector.
This patent grant is currently assigned to The Whitaker Corporation. Invention is credited to Charles H. Weidler.
United States Patent |
5,314,357 |
Weidler |
May 24, 1994 |
Combined electrical connector
Abstract
An electrical connector (1) comprises, first and second clasping
bodies (2) that interlock with each other and define therebetween
multiple housing cavities (3), multiple cable connectors (4) in the
cavities (3), each connector (4) having a housing (5) with an
external profile encircled by one of the cavities (3), front mating
faces (7) of the connectors (4) being aligned side to side,
relatively wide sections (10) of the connectors (4) overlapping one
another laterally, side to side, to achieve a compact width.
Inventors: |
Weidler; Charles H. (Lancaster,
PA) |
Assignee: |
The Whitaker Corporation
(Wilmington, DE)
|
Family
ID: |
21847131 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/029,085 |
Filed: |
March 10, 1993 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
439/701; 439/680;
439/731 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R
13/518 (20130101); H01R 13/514 (20130101); H01R
13/631 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01R
13/516 (20060101); H01R 13/518 (20060101); H01R
13/514 (20060101); H01R 13/631 (20060101); H01R
013/514 () |
Field of
Search: |
;439/638,639,701,731,540,532,247,248,677,680,690
;361/395,399,413 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Paumen; Gary F.
Assistant Examiner: Vu; Hien D.
Claims
I claim:
1. An electrical connector comprising: first and second clasping
bodies that interlock with each other and define therebetween
multiple housing cavities, multiple cable connectors in the
cavities, each connector having a housing with an external profile,
the cavities conforming to and encircling the external profiles of
the housings, front mating faces of the connectors being staggered
front to rear, relatively wide portions of at least two of the
connectors being spaced apart front to rear, and the relatively
wide portions overlapping one another laterally, side to side, to
achieve a compact width.
2. An electrical connector as recited in claim 1, comprising: the
front mating faces of the connectors having different profile
shapes.
3. An electrical connector as recited in claim 1, comprising: one
of the connectors having protruding wedge shaped panel locks, and
the clasping bodies having internal, wedge shaped recesses
conformingly surrounding the panel locks.
4. An electrical connector as recited in claim 1, comprising:
interlocked locking members on the clasping bodies, and the locking
members being in tandem front to rear with a relatively shorter one
of the connectors.
5. An electrical connector as recited in claim 1, comprising:
pillars on the clasping bodies separating said spaced apart,
relatively wide portions of the connectors.
6. An electrical connector as recited in claim 1, comprising: guide
pins extending through aligned ends of the clasping bodies, the
guide pins projecting forwardly of the mating faces.
7. An electrical connector as recited in claim 1, comprising: a
bumper on at least one of the clasping bodies projecting forwardly
and supporting a shorter one of the connectors.
8. An electrical connector as recited in claim 1, comprising: one
of the connectors having a shroud free mating face, and at least
one of the clasping bodies having a post projecting forwardly of
the shroud free mating face.
9. An electrical connector as recited in claim 1, comprising: A
post on at least one of the clasping bodies projecting forwardly of
a shorter one of the connectors, the post being aligned at a front
end with the mating faces of the longer ones of the connectors.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electrical connector for
cables, and, more particularly, to such an electrical connector
that converts multiple electrical connectors into a single
electrical connector.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
According to USA, an electrical connector for cables comprises,
insulated electrical conductors terminated with an electrical
connector. Multiple rows of electrical contacts in an insulative
housing of the connector are arranged in rows, and are connected
with individual, insulated conductors. The insulated conductors can
be unshielded or shielded by a conductive jacket. Before the
invention, electrical connectors have been available in various
sizes and shapes for conformance with technical standards governing
dimensional configurations and electrical characteristics. The
existing connectors often are inadequate to meet renewed demands
for faster and more compact electronic devices. Yet to specify new
technical standards would require the design of new connectors that
are not in existence. In view of the rapid obsolescence of
electronic devices, the design of a new connector can not be
accomplished in a timely manner.
As an alternative to design of a new connector, a composite
connector can be formed from a number of known connectors. The
configurations and electrical characteristics are known for each of
the connectors. Each of the connectors would be unchanged when
accompanying one another in such a composite connector.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention pertains to an electrical connector comprising a
composite of known connectors in a single connector housing that
simplifies mounting of the known connectors, and that simplifies
connection and disconnect of the known connectors together as a
group with another, mating electrical connector. According to a
feature of the invention, multiple cable connectors are encircled
by first and second clasping bodies that interlock with each other.
Each of the connectors has a separate mating face. The clasping
bodies clasp the connectors and hold some of them with their front
mating faces aligned laterally side to side, and with relatively
wide portions of the connectors overlapping one another front to
rear to achieve a compact width.
An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of
example with reference to the drawings, according to which:
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrical connector with parts
separated from one another;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of clasping members of the connector
shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of separate electrical connectors on one
of the clasping members of the connector shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the connector shown in FIG. 1 with
the parts assembled together; and
FIG. 5 is a section view taken along the line 5--5 of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
With reference to FIG. 1, an electrical connector 1 comprises,
first and second clasping bodies 2 that are each of molded, unitary
construction, fabricated from an engineering polymer material. The
clasping bodies 2 oppose each other, and define therebetween
multiple housing cavities 3.
Individual cable connectors 4, adapted to be mounted in the
cavities 3 comprise, a smaller one of the connectors 4 between two,
larger ones of the connectors 4. Each of the larger connectors 4 is
both, longer, front to rear, and wider laterally, side to side,
than the smaller one of the connectors 4. Each connector 4 is
constructed with an insulative housing 5 with an external profile.
Each of the cavities 3 conforms to and encircles the corresponding
external profile of one of the housings 5 of the connectors 4.
The housing receiving cavities 3 have open front ends 6 through
which protrude front mating faces 7 of the connectors 4. The
individual connectors 7 have front mating faces 7 with different
profile shapes. The front mating faces 7 are staggered front to
rear. Raised ledges 8 at the open front ends 6 support the larger
connectors 4. A thicker one of the ledges 8 is divided into a
series of ribs 9 to reduce material.
With reference to FIG. 3, the connectors 4 are shown as being
mounted in the housing receiving cavities 3 of one of the clasping
bodies 2. Relatively wide sections 10 of at least two of the
connectors 4 overlap one another laterally, side to side, as shown
at 11 to achieve a compact width for the connector 1. The
relatively wide sections are in tandem and are spaced apart front
to rear. Pillars 12 on each clasping body 2 project toward the
other clasping body 2. The pillars 12 on one clasping body 2 stack
on the pillars 12 of the other clasping body 2. The pillars 12
extend between and separate the spaced apart, relatively wide
portions 10 of the connectors 4. One of the larger connectors 4 has
lateral, protruding, wedge shaped panel locks 13, and the pillars
12 of the clasping bodies 2 have internal, wedge shaped recesses 14
conformingly surrounding the panel locks 13. Front facing surfaces
15, FIG. 5, on the pillars 12 overlap rear facing surfaces 16, FIG.
3, on the connectors 4 to resist relative movement of the
connectors 4 and the clasping bodies 2. Rear facing surfaces 17 on
the pillars 12 overlap front facing surfaces 18 on the connectors 4
to resist relative movement of the connectors 4 and the clasping
bodies 2.
With reference to FIG. 1, multiple electrical contacts 19 in each
housing 5, shown in one of the connectors 4, are adapted for
connection to insulated conductors of electrical cables, not shown.
The housing receiving cavities 3 defined by the clasping bodies 2
have open rear ends 20 to admit such conductors. One of the larger
connectors 4 has a strain relief cable clamp 21 adapted to clamp
against conductors extending from the connector 4 in a direction
transverse to a direction front to rear. In this manner the
connector 4 is said to comprise a right angle connector 4, meaning
that the connector 4 extends at a right angle to the axes of the
conductors. Each of the housing receiving cavities 3 is intersected
by a transverse cable exit recess 22, FIGS. 1 and 2, that permit
insulated conductors to exit each of the cavities 3 of the
connector 1 transversely of the front to rear direction.
The smaller one of the connectors 4 is shorter than the larger
connectors 4. At least one of the clasping bodies 2 is constructed
with a bipartite post 23 that supports the shorter one of the
connectors 4. Rear facing surfaces on the post 23 overlap a front
facing surface 24 encircling the smaller one of the connectors 4 to
prevent movement of such connector 4 relative to the clasping
members 2. The post 23 supports the mating face 7 of the shorter
one of the connectors 4 in alignment laterally, side to side, with
the mating faces 7 of the longer connectors 7. The shorter one of
the connectors 4 has a shroud free mating face 7.
With reference to FIGS. 2 and 5, an open end channel 25 is on a
pillar 12 of one of the clasping bodies 2. An elongated hook 26 is
on the other one of the clasping bodies 2 projecting toward the
open end of the channel 25. The hook 26 is adapted to hook into an
undercut 27 in the floor of the channel 25, and thus, interlock the
clasping bodies 3 together. The channel 25 and hook 26 comprise
interlocked locking members on the clasping bodies 2, the locking
members being in tandem front to rear with a relatively shorter one
of the connectors 4.
Block form ends 28 of the clasping bodies 2 overlap one another,
front to rear. Apertures 29 in the ends 28 of the clasping bodies 2
are aligned, front to rear. Guide pins 30 extend through the
apertures 29 and the aligned ends 28 of the clasping members 2. The
guide pins 30 project forwardly of the mating faces 7, and are used
as alignment guides to align the connector 1 for mating connection
with another, mating electrical connector, not shown. A cap screw
31 with an enlarged head is secured in an internally threaded end
32 of each of the pins 30. The pins 30 are restrained from movement
by the enlarged heads of the cap screws 31 and by stepped diameters
of the pins 30 in stepped diameters of the apertures 29. The
connector 1 simplifies mounting of the individual connectors 4 and
the connection of all the individual connectors 4 as a group to
another mating electrical connector, not shown.
* * * * *